Method for applying fittings to strand ends

ABSTRACT

A hot-metal-type end fitting is precisely positioned upon the end of a wire strand without detrimental cocking of the fitting with respect to the longitudinal axis of the strand by clamping the strand end in a clamp having planar upper and lower surfaces disposed at right angles to the central clamping orifice of said clamp, positioning the lower surface of said clamp securely against a planar horizontal supporting surface, positioning an end fitting having a flat rear surface against the upper surface of said clamp, and pouring molten metal into the bowl of said positioned fitting.

United States Patent Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee METHOD FORAPPLYING FITTINGS TO STRAND ENDS 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 164/112, 164/100, 164/332 Int. Cl 822d 19/00 Field of Search 164/1 12,

Primary ExaminerJ. Spencer Overholser Attorney.loseph J. OKeefeABSTRACT: A hot-metal-type end fitting is precisely positioned upon theend of a wire strand without detrimental cocking of the fitting withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the strand by clamping the strandend in a clamp having planar upper and lower surfaces disposed at rightangles to the central clamping orifice of said clamp, positioning thelower surface of said clamp securely against a planar horizontalsupporting surface, positioning an end fitting having a flat rearsurface against the upper surface of said clamp, and pouring moltenmetal into the bowl of said positioned fitting PATENTEU m 4 m2 SHEET 1BF 2 INVENTORS Stephen R. Baker Harry D. Kremer ATTORNEY PAFENTEU m 4872SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTORS Stephen R. Baker Harry D. Kremer ATTORNEY 1METHOD FOR APPLYING FITTINGS TO STRAND ENDS RELATED APPLICATIONS Thisapplication is a division of US. Pat. application Ser. No. 682,465,filed Nov. 13, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,556,168 by the present inventors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the precisealignment of molten metal sockets on strand ends.

It has been customary in applying hot metal socket-type ten- 7 sionfittings to the end of wire strands to clamp the end of the strandvertically and then after placing the fitting in approximate positionover the end of the strand to align the fitting exactly with the end ofthe strand with a plumb bob or similar leveling means prior to pouringhot metal into the bowl of the socket. If the socket fitting was notplumbed prior to pouring in the hot metal it would frequently becomeaffixed to the strand end in a slightly cocked position whereby latertension on the fitting would not be evenly distributed to the wires ofthe strand. Plumbing the socket, however, is tedious and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method ofaligning a hot metal socket fitting on the end of a strand by firstapplying a clamp designed to exactly fit around the strand and having aplanar face disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of theclamp, positioning the strand end in a vertical position, andpositioning the lower edge of the socket against the face of the clampto align the socket with the end of the strand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatussuitable for practicing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a detail of a clamp positioned on a horizontal supportingsurface according to the present invention and a broomed end of aparallel wire strand inserted between the dies of the apparatus of FIGS.1 and 2.

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the die shown in FIG. 3 closed to debroom theend of the strand.

FIG. 5 shows a detail of a socket placed over the end of the strand.

FIG. 6 shows a detail of the dies open to allow the socket to bepositioned for the application of hot metal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The practice of the presentinvention is illustrated and described hereinafter in conjunction withthe debrooming apparatus which is the subject of the invention of theparent application, Ser. No. 682,465, of which this application is adivision. While the terminology wire strand or strand is used throughoutthis application, it will readily be understood that the presentinvention would be equally applicable to the mounting of fittings uponthe ends of wire or other rope and the term strand is intended to referbroadly to both strand and rope.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown opposed dies 11 and I3 operatively connectedto piston rods 19 and 21 extending from pneumatic cylinders 23 and 25.Dies l I and 13 have faces Ila and 13a with arcuate impressions 15 and17 therein. When dies 11 and 13 are brought together by pneumaticpressure applied to cylinders 23 and 25, arcuate impressions 15 and I7cooperate to form a cylindrical die cavity of substantially the outerdimensions of a strand the end' of which is to be debroomed. Divergingintercalated fingers 27 and 29 extend from the faces of dies 11 and 13respectively. These intercalated fingers at their widest divergence areat least as far apart as the width of the debroomed ends of the strandwires and in the embodiment shown at least as wide as the outsidedimensions of the socket to be applied to the end of the strand. For

convenience of construction fingers 27 and 29 may be embedded in thefaces of dies 11 and 13 flush with the die faces 11a and 13a and forminga portion of such faces.

Cylinders 23 and 25 are supported on stationary supporting means 31 and33 having supporting legs 31a and 31b and 33a and 33b. Piston rods 19and 21 are directly connected to support bearing pieces 35 and 37respectively movably mounted in slides 32 and 34 upon stationarysupporting means 31 and 33. The pistons, not shown, within cylinders 23and 25 are double-acting pistons adapted to be moved in either directionby any suitable manual pneumatic control system which applies airpressure through pneumatic connections 26a and 26b to the back or frontfaces of both pistons simultaneously so that the dies 11 and 13supported by bearing pieces 35 and 37 may be actively moved together orapart at the will of the operator. In the embodiment shown stationarysupporting means 31 is slightly higher than stationary supporting means33 to facilitate intercalation of fingers 27 and 29. While thisarrangement provides convenience in fabrication because of duplicationof parts, other arrangements could also be used.

Between stationary supporting means 31 and 33 and secured to mountinglegs 31b and 33a is mounted an accurately leveled alignment plate 39having a slot 41 large enough to accommodate a strand of the diameter tobe debroomed. A series of clamp positioning stops 43 are welded in arectangular pattern on top of alignment plate 39 about slot 41.Preferably the ends of fingers 27 and 29 extending over slot 41 are madeshorter as seen at 45 than the fingers on the opposite side to allow thestrand to he slipped between the two sets of intercalating fingerswithout opening the dies 11 and 13 to their extreme positions. Sheetmetal shields 47 and 49 are preferably mounted over support bearingpieces 35 and 37, and slides 32 and 34. Small cooperating shields 51 and53 with adjacent arcuate cutout portions are hinged at 55a and 55b ontop of shields 47 and 49.

A pneumatic clamping means 57 is preferably mounted under alignmentplate 39 to grasp the strand and prevent it from rising up as the dies11 and 13 close on the broomed wires at the end of the strand. Smallpneumatic cylinders 59 and 61 are mounted on supporting plates 63 and 65attached to legs 31b and 33a by means of brackets 67 and 69. Pistons 71and 73 are connected to V-guides 75 and 77 sliding in V- beds 79 and 81mounted on support plates 63 and 65. Clamping jaws 83 and 85 aresupported on the ends of V-guides 75 and 77 in position to clamp astrand in the apparatus and prevent it from moving. Other suitableclamping arrangements may, of course, also be used.

When applying molten metal sockets to the end of a parallel wire stranda clamp 57 having planar end faces 59a and 59b at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the clamp is applied to the strand with the upperor outer face 590 at a predetermined location previously marked on thestrand to which position the end of the socket is to extend in thefinished strand. The wires at the end of the strand having been broomedoutwardly in any suitable manner, such as by inserting a small pipe overthe wires and bending them outwardly, and then cleaned, the end of thestrand is inserted into slot 41 from the side with the broomed endextending vertically upwardly between fingers 27 and 29 and the clamp 57aligned between positioning stops 43 with its lower surface 5%contacting the upper face of alignment plate 39 as seen in FIG. '3. Thejaws 83 and 85 of clamping means 57 are next closed to secure the strandin position by admitting air to pneumatic cylinders 59 and 61. Air isthen admitted through pneumatic connections 26a to the rear of cylinders23 and 25 to force dies 11 and 13 towards each other. As dies 11 and 13move towards each other fingers 27 and 29 cooperate to progressivelybundle the broomed ends of the wires together again into at least pseudostrand form as shown in FIG. 4. A hot metal socket 61 is then placedover the bundled ends of the wires as shown in FIG. 5 after which thedies 11 and 13 are opened by the application of air pressure throughpneumatic connections 26b to the forward ends of cylinders 23 and 25 sothat socket 61 may fall or be forced down over the wires of the stranduntil its lower end rests on top of the clamp 57 with the flat face 59aof the clamp acting as both a positioning stop and a hot metal dam asshown in FIG. 6. Since the lower face 5% of clamp 57 rests on theleveled upper surface of alignment plate 39 and faces 59a and 59b areparallel to each other and at right angles to longitudinal axis of thestrand, if the lower end of the socket 61 is flat and at right angles tothe longitudinal axis of the socket the longitudinal axis of the socketis automatically aligned with the longitudinal axis of the strand. Thesmall shields 51 and 53 are then folded down as seen in FIG. 6 over thefingers, dies and slides to protect these parts from splashing hotmetal, and molten zinc metal is poured into the upper end of the socketto solidify around the broomed ends of the wires, which spring out againinside the socket 61 after dies 11 and 13 are opened and the socket ispushed down against clamp 57 preparatory to filling the socket with hotmetal. After the zinc has solidified in the socket clamping means 57 isopened and the strand is removed from slot 41 whereupon it will be foundthat the socket is precisely aligned and positioned on the end of thestrand.

We claim:

1. A method of assembling an end fitting and strand combinationcomprising:

a. marking said strand at a predetermined point corresponding to thedesired position of the end of said fitting on said strand,

b. clamping said strand in a clamp having a planar surface on at leastone side disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of a centralclamping orifice defined by the clamping surfaces of said clamp, withsaid planar surface at said mark on the strand and the planar surfacedisposed towards the end of the strand,

c. positioning the end of said strand substantially vertically,

d. placing a socket-type end fitting over the end of said strand andpositioning said socket with the end firmly against said planar clampsurface, and

e. placing molten metal in the bowl of said socket and allowing it tosolidify.

2. A method of assembling an end fitting and strand combinationcomprising:

a. clamping said strand in a clamp means having at least a first planarsurface disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of a centralclamping orifice defined by the clamping surfaces of said clamp, withsaid first planar surface disposed towards the end of the strand,

b. positioning the end of said strand substantially vertically,

c. placing a socket-type end fitting having a flat rear surface disposedat a substantial right angle to the longitudinal axes of the saidfitting over the end of said strand and positioning said socket with itssaid flat rear surface firmly against said first planar clamp surface,and

e. placing molten metal in the bowl of said socket-type end fitting andallowing it to solidify.

3. A method of assembling an end fitting and strand combinationaccording to claim 2 wherein said clamp means has both a first andsecond planar surface disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axisof a central clamping orifice and the end of said strand is positionedprecisely vertically prior to placing molten metal in said bowl of saidfitting by positioning the second planar surface of the clamp meansagainst the upper surface of an accurately leveled supporting means.

4. A method of assembling an end fitting and strand combinationaccording to claim 3 wherein said accurately leveled supporting meanscomprises an alignment plate having an accurately leveled planar uppersurface surrounding an opening through which said strand extendsvertically.

5. A method of assembling an end fittingand strand combination accordingto claim 4 wherein said clamp is positioned upon said alignment platebetween clamp positioning steps which define the correct horizontalposition of said clamp upon said surface.

1. A method of assembling an end fitting and strand combinationcomprising: a. marking said strand at a predetermined pointcorresponding to the desired position of the end of said fitting on saidstrand, b. clamping said strand in a clamp having a planar surface on atleast one side disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of acentral clamping orifice defined by the clamping surfaces of said clamp,with said planar surface at said mark on the strand and the planarsurface disposed towards the end of the strand, c. positioning the endof said strand substantially vertically, d. placing a socket-type endfitting over the end of said strand and positioning said socket with theend firmly against said planar clamp surface, and e. placing moltenmetal in the bowl of said socket and allowing it to solidify.
 2. Amethod of assembling an end fitting and strand combination comprising:a. clamping said strand in a clamp means having at least a first planarsurface disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of a centralclamping orifice defined by the clamping surfaces of said clamp, withsaid first planar surface disposed towards the end of the strand, b.positioning the end of said strand substantially vertically, c. placinga socket-type end fitting having a flat rear surface disposed at asubstantial right angle to the longitudinal axes of tHe said fittingover the end of said strand and positioning said socket with its saidflat rear surface firmly against said first planar clamp surface, and e.placing molten metal in the bowl of said socket-type end fitting andallowing it to solidify.
 3. A method of assembling an end fitting andstrand combination according to claim 2 wherein said clamp means hasboth a first and second planar surface disposed at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of a central clamping orifice and the end of saidstrand is positioned precisely vertically prior to placing molten metalin said bowl of said fitting by positioning the second planar surface ofthe clamp means against the upper surface of an accurately leveledsupporting means.
 4. A method of assembling an end fitting and strandcombination according to claim 3 wherein said accurately leveledsupporting means comprises an alignment plate having an accuratelyleveled planar upper surface surrounding an opening through which saidstrand extends vertically.
 5. A method of assembling an end fitting andstrand combination according to claim 4 wherein said clamp is positionedupon said alignment plate between clamp positioning stops which definethe correct horizontal position of said clamp upon said surface.